The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV) designs, provides, and customizes training and consultation, influences policy, promotes collaboration and enhances diversity with the goal of ending domestic and sexual violence.

Background

The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas. Deborah D. Tucker, MPA, and Sarah M. Buel, JD, co-founded the National Center in May 1998. Their vision was to create an organization that encouraged and created unprecedented levels of collaboration among professionals working to end violence against women.

The reason behind this vision was simple: after decades of work in the field, Debby, Sarah and the founding Board members understood that the most successful efforts - the kind of efforts that save lives and transform society - are always the result of individuals and organizations working together.

The National Center helps a myriad of professionals who work with victims and perpetrators: law enforcement; legal system professionals such as prosecutors, judges and probation officers; health care professionals including emergency response teams, nurses, doctors, therapists, and substance-abuse counselors; domestic violence and sexual assault advocates and service providers; social workers; corporate security, human resources and employee assistance professionals; and human services staff including TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) and child welfare workers. NCDSV also works with local, state and federal agencies; state and national organizations; educators, researchers, faith community leaders, media, community leaders, elected officials, policymakers, and all branches of the military.

This breadth of experience brings a high level of expertise to our work, whether that work involves training, consultation or public policy advocacy. Having partnered with so many diverse groups - in all 50 states, as well as Mexico and Puerto Rico - we are able to share the big picture around issues of domestic and sexual violence.

Training

Our trainers are among the most knowledgeable in the field, so you receive the most current information and learn the best practices. All National Center trainers are excellent communicators who know how to make complex issues understandable. And it is obvious that NCDSV trainers and consultants genuinely enjoy working with people. NCDSV has extensive experience sponsoring national and regional conferences to inform professionals about current research and best practices on violence against women. Participants in our trainings feel safe. They feel connected. They feel valued. They feel they are being informed. Above all, they feel empowered.

Teach groups how to work together to better serve victims of domestic and sexual violence. In doing so, we help these groups understand how their strengths can be complemented and their weaknesses mitigated by one another.

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Present on diverse topics (this is just a sample listing):

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Prosecution response to domestic violence and sexual assault

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Dynamics of domestic violence and sexual assault

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Law enforcement response to domestic violence and sexual assault

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Role of advocates

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Community collaboration and coordinated community response

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Challenges of poverty in addressing domestic violence

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Domestic violence in the workplace

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Military response to domestic violence

Consulting

The National Center provides customer-focused consultation and technical assistance. Our staff and consultants:

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Work with individuals and groups seeking to change laws or influence policy.

Build bridges by linking organizations and people who benefit from knowing one another, but who might not connect otherwise.

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Share information about how organizations and communities in all 50 states solve problems, thus saving partners from constantly having to "reinvent the wheel."

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Facilitate community collaboration efforts

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Collaborate with numerous state and national organizations that are also providing training, consultation and technical assistance on violence against women.

Advocacy

NCDSV staff have extensive experience advocating changing laws and influencing policies on domestic and sexual violence at the local, state and federal levels. Our staff members have been intimately involved for more than 20 years changing laws that impact victims of domestic and sexual violence in Texas and Illinois. In addition, they were directly involved in the drafting and passage of the original Violence Against Women Act in 1994.

Our two major focus areas for advocacy are the military's response to domestic violence and issues affecting low-income women.

Military Response to Domestic Violence

NCDSV's Executive Director, Debby Tucker, recently completed a three-year term as co-chair of the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence (DTFDV). The Task Force examined the responses to both offenders and victims, made recommendations for improvement of systems and collaboration with civilian groups, and reported annually to Congress. While this was a three-year project, the U.S. Department of Defense and Congress are continually conferring with NCDSV as they implement the recommendations of the Task Force. In addition, National Center is collaborating with numerous organizations across the country to implement the Task Force's training recommendations for military law enforcement, chaplains, Family Advocacy Staff, JAG officers, and command staff.

The DTFDV's three reports, more information about this project, and links to military resources are available on the National Center's web site at www.ncdsv.org.

Issues Affecting Low-Income Women

NCDSV works with local, state and federal agencies, domestic violence service providers, university research programs, and others with expertise to develop and implement policies for assisting welfare recipients and other low-income individuals who are domestic violence victims so they can move safely from welfare to work.

In the 2001 legislative session in Texas, NCDSV worked for the successful passage of a bill requiring training for eligibility workers who come into contact with people applying for public assistance through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. The training teaches eligibility workers to screen for domestic violence among applicants, and also teaches them how to link applicants to resources and support in dealing with domestic violence.

Numerous articles, reports, publications, and links to organizations addressing poverty and welfare issues are available on the National Center's web site at www.ncdsv.org.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Sarah M. Buel, JD, Director Emeritus, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

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Rus Ervin Funk, MSW, Secretary, Louisville, KY

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Rhonda Gerson, Chair, Houston, TX

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Candace Mosley, JD, National College of District Attorneys / University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC